Editorial: Help fight domestic violence

Monday

Oct 27, 2008 at 12:01 AMOct 27, 2008 at 5:24 PM

We can all become eyes and ears to help protect victims.

A small group of community leaders met at the Radisson Hotel-Utica Centre in downtown Utica one day last week to talk candidly about one of the most heinous crimes facing our society today — domestic violence.

It’s a topic everyone needs to know more about — mainly because raising awareness can be a powerful weapon is attacking the problem.

That’s why former state Sen. Ray Meier brought the group together. Meier was a leading advocate against abuse while in Albany, and continues to assist the YWCA of the Mohawk Valley today in raising awareness. In 2006, he championed a child welfare legislation package that among other things, allowed a court to terminate parental rights when one parent has killed or attempted to kill the other or another child in the home.

“Far too many children in this state are exposed to a disturbing amount of violence in the home,” Meier said at the time.

Sadly, that holds true today. And a problem is that too often victims — largely children and women — aren’t always likely to step forward.

That makes it even more critical that we pay attention.

Meier pointed to the 2006 case of Nixzmary Brown, the 7-year-old Brooklyn girl who was beaten to death by her stepfather as punishment for stealing a snack and jamming his computer printer with toys. While all abuse cases are unspeakable, this was particularly heinous. Nixzmary was beaten, tied to chairs, held under a cold faucet and forced to use a litter box as a toilet in the Bedford-Stuyvesant apartment she shared with her mother, stepfather and five siblings.

Nixzmary’s stepfather was convicted of manslaughter this past March; Nixzmary’s mother was found guilty of the same charge Oct. 18 for ignoring — and sometimes encouraging — the beatings. Who else might have been guilty of ignoring this child’s cries for help? As Meier pointed out to the group last week, this didn’t happen in some remote area; it happened in an apartment building in Brooklyn.

We can — as neighbors, as co-workers — help fight this battle. Rosemary Vennaro, director of non-residential services for the YWCA, told of a case in Buffalo where a woman was being severely abused — mentally and physically — by her husband. Her work supervisor noticed peculiarities, and began keeping a daily journal of what she observed. When the woman finally mustered the courage to file charges, the supervisor’s journal was a key piece of corroborating evidence that helped convict the abusive husband. He got 30 years in prison.

Certainly no one wants to witness such tragedy. But an even bigger tragedy is indifference. Victims of domestic violence not only face the fear and brutality that comes with physical abuse, but mental and emotional abuse as well. As discussed by Meier and Y leaders last week, there are many complex factors that keep people in violent relationships; getting out and getting help requires strength and support.

Links

Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted.
Wicked Local Provincetown ~ P.O. Box 977 Provincetown, MA 02657 ~ Privacy Policy ~ Terms Of Service